Welcome to another episode of Checking In, a Market Share weekly feature in which we survey local TV marketing and creative services directors to find out who they are, their challenges, their successes and their visions for the future. 

Marketing and creative services directors are in a unique line of work. There are roughly a 1,000 of them at stations across the country. They are expected to be both left-brained and right-brained, able to be analytical and creative simultaneously. They need to be marketing/advertising specialists in TV, radio, outdoor and social media, as well as copywriters with original concepts that get noticed and generate results, all while being a manager who leads the staff by example and can draw out the best from the team.

Today, we check in with Joe Kozlowski.

He’s known by many as Promo Joe, and has been the creative services director at KFOR, Nexstar’s NBC in Oklahoma City, for almost 15 years.

If you want Market Share to check in with you, just let me know at paul@newscheckmedia.com or 817-578-6324.

Below is my recent interview with Kozlowski, conducted via email:

Biggest challenge of your job?

We’ve rolled with the challenges COVID threw at us. It’s a hyper-competitive industry, but because we are a local station, we have the ability to tackle issues and hurdles that affect our viewers and most importantly, we can help them in our communities.

Biggest change in your job in 2022?

We work to be the most nimble, fast acting and creative operation. When the news department needs us, we find a way to make it happen. When the sales team needs us, we are there.

In 2022, Covid variants made staffing a challenge, but at every turn we found a way to get the job done, while also allowing our employees the time they needed to recover or be with their families. When the pandemic first started, there seemed to be less pressure to meet ALL demands, but in 2022 the expectations and workflow have increased and we’ve had to stretch ourselves to accommodate. I’m proud of the way we’ve been able to adapt!

Biggest success you have had in the last 12 months?

Our consumer reporter Adam Snider helped a viewer in need. She was hit with a $300,000 (yikes) IRS bill. She was getting nowhere until she reached out to Adam of our In Your Corner team. He helped her get that bill thrown out without owing a cent.  In fact, she ended up getting a refund. We’ve made a concerted effort to be the station that helps people. COVID has been challenging, the economy regarding inflation is interesting and yet we are making the lives of Oklahomans a little better every day. Every week we have been highlighting our news viewer success stories with POPs, proof of performance promos. We tell you what we’re going to do, we show you what we are doing in our news story and then we POP the results of that story.

NOTE:  According to Kozlowski, In Your Corner has been a news franchise on KFOR for 41 years and is “highly recognizable”.

What part of the changing industry excites you the most?

We have a powerhouse TV station and a rapidly growing digital footprint that we can customize promotions and advertising campaigns to help our clients target very specific customers. Our TV station gives our digital efforts lift and as the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all the boats. I would like to emphasize that helping people is what Looking Out 4 You is all about. It’s more than a slogan, it’s in our DNA.

Here’s a new weather promo featuring a farmer from Weatherford, just west of Oklahoma City.

New Jobs Posted To TVNewsCheck

CLICK HERE to see new jobs posted to TVNewsCheck’s Media Job Center including openings for two TV local sales managers, a western regional sales manager, two photojournalists, two news producers, an assignment editor, marketing producer, anchor/reporter and senior reporter.